Distant Haunting
by StormyNight55
Summary: Tigerstar is dead, and Firestar is leading a reign of peace. However, when Twolegs begin tearing into the forest, StarClan calls upon a younger group for help. Firestar is forced to step up - and even among his Clan, he finds himself more alone than ever.
1. Trouble

It's been a long, long while, folks. For that, I'm truly sorry. I won't offer up any more excuses than I did in my 'Revenge' author's note. Here you have it, the first chapter in the 'Distorted Reality' sequel. The rest is a work-in-progress, but I've got the second chapter started already, and with summer on the way things should pick up speed at least a little bit.

P.S - the first little part of this is sort of like a prologue, but it's way too short to stand on it's own.

**Disclaimer; I don't own Warriors, nor will I ever.**

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The forest's trees covered the grassy ground with leafy shadows. A soft breeze caressed the twigs and branches, sometimes fluttering through the fur of cats. Queens bustled around the nursery, bellies round. Warriors and apprentices chatted over fresh-kill. A single leader presided over the care of them all.

This was how it had always been, in a good year for ThunderClan. However, things cannot always remain the same.

Monsters roared over the breezes, trampled the soft greenery, scared away the prey. The warriors grew tired, the apprentices thin. The queens lost kits, their once providing bodies unable to sustain the smallest litter. Stores of medicine withered away with nothing left to restore it. The leader watched, as fearful as a newborn kit. StarClan watched, as scared as any mortal Clan cat.

These were the times to come.

* * *

The moon cast a glow over the moving mass of cats. Blades of grass bent under paws, the group mostly silent aside from whispered conversations.

Though whispering for some, was harder than for others.

"I can't believe them. How dare she!"

"Sandstorm, relax. Firestar denied her request anyway."

The ginger she-cat snorted, ears tipped back and tail lashing every few seconds. "More like her _demand. _Leopardstar looked absolutely indignant that we didn't give her a share of our territory, just because she' s having Twoleg trouble. Like she has any right to ask ThunderClan, especially _Firestar, _for anything!"

The flame-colored tom beside her cast a glance at another; his deputy, a gray tom with amused yellow eyes.

"I know, Sandstorm," the leader meowed soothingly. "But that time's over now. We can't keep looking back at what we think RiverClan owes us."

"She's never even admitted to helping Tigerstar like she did," Sandstorm snapped. "She_ does_ owe us."

"Tigerstar's gone," Graystripe pointed out. "The Clans are just Clans now. It's been a fresh start ever since Firestar became leader, and that's how it should be."

The three continued at the front of the massive group, leading the entire Clan through the forest territory and back to camp. Silverpelt shone overhead as the returning cats soon retired to their dens, meowing 'good night's to one another. Sandstorm padded off to join the other warriors, her irritated tirade seemingly over, but the gray tom lingered.

"Good night, Firestar," he meowed, hesitating a moment. He looked like he had something more to say, but remained silent before turning and following after the she-cat.

"Good night," Firestar returned, a bit of longing in his voice. Even if leading ThunderClan was his destiny, he couldn't help but miss the nights he had slept comfortably beside the other tom.

* * *

"Firestar!"

The flame-colored tom perked his ears towards the call, looking up from his meal at the fresh-kill pile. It was a voice he was particularly in tune to; his nephew Cloudtail. He had promised his sister Princess that he would take care of her only remaining kit, lest he be taken away by Twolegs like his sister. Admittedly, Clan life held far more hazards than a kittypet life would, but Princess had insisted. So far, Cloudtail had grown into a strong warrior; albeit a bit skeptical of certain Clan beliefs and at times lazy or distracted. All the same, he had thus far become the Clan's best tracker, even at his young age.

"What is it, Cloudtail?" He answered, the white tom skidding to a halt in front of him, the rest of the patrol catching up behind.

"There's Twolegs on our territory," he reported, "at Treecut Place."

Brackenfur and Tawnypelt, the rest of the patrol, came to a stop before him and nodded their agreements. Firestar's eyes narrowed.

"Well," he turned to Brackenfur, the oldest and most experienced of the three. "Lead the way."

Without missing a beat, Cloudtail took to the front, disregarding Firestar's order to have Brackenfur lead. Ears flattening a bit with frustration, he followed after his nephew, casting an apologetic glance at Brackenfur as they went. The brown tom seemed only slightly irritated that he was not at the front of the patrol.

When they arrived, Firestar spent only a moment scanning the area before he realized that they warning was indeed true. Then he immediately darted into the nearest underbrush, hiding himself whilst the rest of the patrol took up similar cover. There were indeed Twolegs at Treecut Place once more; meandering about, doing unexplainable Twoleg things. They had strange objects with them, but did not appear to be doing any real harm.

"They should be gone soon enough," Firestar whispered to Brackenfur. "Twolegs sometimes come here and do StarClan-knows-what, but they always leave."

Suddenly, a sound that made all four of them nearly jump split through the air, and the sight before them made four pairs of eyes widen and jaws part with horror. A monster, a _Thunderpath _monster, was bearing down on them, smashing through trees and crushing grass and underbrush into the dirt. Massive black paws ripped at the earth and two blazing eyes stared them down, the entire beast shaking and rumbling with menace.

"It's not stopping," Brackenfur stammered.

Firestar continued to stare, captivated with terror, frozen and unable to react.

"Firestar, it's not stopping!" The brown tom even went so far as to give his leader an urgent nudge, the monster bearing down on their hidden location.

The frantic tone of his Clanmate's voice snapped him out of it, and he seemed to come back to reality, realizing the danger of their situation.

"Go!" He cried, worried the others would not hear him over the commotion that the monster was making. "Back to camp!"

Just before the monster could stamp down on their hiding place, the four cats turned and fled.

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Please review! I need encouragement, especially from original 'Distorted Reality' fans!


	2. Meetings

Trying to get back into the groove of things is hard, but I've pumped out another chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy it. Reviews make writing easier on me. Help me out? =D

**Disclaimer; I don't own Warriors. But if I did, clearly this is how it would go.**

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"Graystripe!"

The ThunderClan leader came dashing into camp, panting and frantically searching for the cat he needed to see. He locked eyes with said tom across camp, his yellow orbs blinking in concern and immediately abandoning his fresh-kill to hurry over.

"What is it?" Graystripe meowed with worry. "You look worked up."

"Get Cinderpelt for me, will you?" He answered, pausing for only a moment before starting off towards his den. "Bring her with you to my den as soon as possible."

The gray tom stared after for only a moment before obeying. Firestar swept into his den and wrapped his tail tightly around his paws, waiting only a few more moments before his deputy and medicine cat joined him.

"What's going on?" Cinderpelt inquired, limping in before taking a lopsided seat. "Cloudtail's coming up with the most exaggerated stories about monsters –"

"They're not stories," Firestar clarified solemnly. "Brackenfur, Tanwypelt and Cloudtail were patrolling when they found Twolegs near Treecut Place. They came back to report, and I told them I would go with them to check things out."

"There's usually Twolegs around Treecut Place during the nicer seasons," Graystripe pointed out.

"I know," he went on, "that's what I told them. But then there was a monster…and it came _off _the Thunderpath. It was in the forest."

"What?" Graystripe wrinkled his nose. "Monsters don't leave the Thunderpath, Firestar."

"I know!" He went on. "But this one did. It was tearing up everything in sight. Imagine how much prey it scared off?"

"What's a monster doing in the forest?" Cinderpelt contemplated somewhat quietly.

"I'm a bit offended," a new voice sounded, a muzzle nuzzling through the lichen hanging in the den's entrance. A pair of light green eyes popped through, blinking narrowly. "What's this important meeting business all about?"

"Just come in, Sandstorm," Firestar beckoned, knowing better than to try and fight her off.

"Why wasn't I invited?"

"If you hadn't noticed," Graystripe answered, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. But it was only a spark; the threatening gloom of this new information Firestar had delivered was clouding it. "It's our leader consulting his deputy and medicine cat. What are _you?"_

"A highly respected warrior, actually," she snapped, her tail sliding across the ground. "Or is that not enough anymore?"

"Stop it," Firestar meowed, and the two of them turned their attention back towards him. "This is serious. There are monsters on our territory."

"More than one?" Graystripe asked with concern.

"Not that we saw," he went on, "but if one was there, who's to say there won't be more?"

"That would be unlikely," Cinderpelt put out.

"It was unlikely that a monster was going to trample into the forest in the first place," Firestar insisted. "There's nothing saying it won't happen again."

The four cats exchanged glances full of similar emotions. Sandstorm looked perturbed, her ears flattened slightly and her paws flexing. Graystripe had his eyes cast towards the ground, narrowed a bit in troubled thought. Cinderpelt was the only one who stared directly at him, waiting upon Firestar's next words, her expression betraying her own worry.

"We'll send a patrol down that way tomorrow morning," he instructed, catching the attention of all three once again. "Until then…no one goes near Treecut Place alone. Spread the word."

Graystripe nodded and started off, sliding past Sandstorm as he slipped through the lichen entrance. Sandstorm lingered a moment longer before joining him. Cinderpelt made no effort to move, and Firestar let loose a quiet sigh.

"Cinderpelt," he whispered. "What do you think? RiverClan's been complaining of Twoleg trouble and no one's done a thing to help them. What if we end up worse off than they are? What will we do?"

The gray she-cat merely returned his stare for a moment, her clear blue eyes squinting slightly before her response.

"I think," she began, getting unevenly to her paws, "that you can lead us through anything, Firestar. I'm sure of that."

With that, she limped through the entrance, leaving Firestar to himself behind the faintly swaying lichen.

* * *

The white tom stretched haphazardly, his tail sweeping across the face of another nearby cat, who sneezed and batted it away. Drawing it closely back towards himself, Cloudtail got to his paws a little more carefully and looked out towards the clearing. No cat stirred, no voices spoke. Nothing made a noise; except the sudden rumbling of the tom's stomach.

Cringing, he hurried out towards the fresh-kill pile. A late night snack never hurt any warrior, right? Especially when no one was awake to see him taking an extra piece. Making sure the coast was clear, he scanned the area before returning to his meal, a plump sparrow.

But all was not clear.

Something stirred in the nearby underbrush, and a tabby tail disappeared before his eyes out of camp. Blinking, wondering if he was still half asleep, Cloudtail abandoned his plans of a feast and carefully hurried across camp. Though the senior warriors would sometimes complain of his 'laziness' and 'lack of effort', they still grudgingly admitted that he was the best tracker in the Clan. At one sniff, Cloudtail knew the scent was Brambleclaw.

_What's Brambleclaw doing sneaking out of camp so late?_

Cloudtail himself had only been made a warrior, along with Brambleclaw in fact, a few moons ago. Apprentice ideas of adventure and grandeur still swirled through his mind, and the chance to track a fellow Clanmate, one who he didn't particularly like either, was too much of a temptation. He simply had to know what the young tabby was up to.

Slipping through the underbrush, going merely on scent, Cloudtail found himself crawling deeper and deeper into ThunderClan territory. He disregarded boundaries and cast any hesitation aside as he came to a stop just before Fourtrees. Remaining hidden, his blue eyes widened substantially as he found Brambleclaw sitting in the Gathering clearing, with three other cats.

Three other, _non-ThunderClan _cats.

One was slightly smaller than Brambleclaw, with a scowl as his expression and piercing blue eyes. His pelt was as dark as the shadows, near black. However, he was not built like the cats Cloudtail was used to living with; his muscles were lean and his limbs slightly longer.

_A WindClan cat! _His mind shouted. _What's Brambleclaw doing meeting a WindClan cat here?_

The next cat was a dark gray in color, yet lighter than the first, and her eyes golden and narrowed. Her tail twitched occasionally, and she remained too far away to catch wind of. He couldn't identify her Clan based on her looks, and he couldn't catch a hint of her scent.

The final cat was smaller than the rest, merely an apprentice if Cloudtail could guess correctly. He was a mottled tabby, lighter in color than Brambleclaw, with deep golden eyes. Cloudtail recognized him immediately.

_Blackstar's son! _He thought instantly. _I saw him at the last Gathering, he was only just made an apprentice! If he's ShadowClan, maybe the she-cat is RiverClan…and that's all four! What's a cat of every Clan doing here?_

Cloudtail pressed himself as close as he could without giving away his hiding spot; but it was not close enough to catch the information he wanted. He managed to hear a few mutterings about StarClan, to which he snorted and disregarded them. There was talk of not wanting to return, but after a few minutes of persuasion they agreed to meet again in a moon. As the four dispersed, Cloudtail hurried away as quietly and quickly as possible, hoping Brambleclaw wouldn't notice if he returned after the tabby.

Hurling into camp, Cloudtail snatched up the nearest prey; the sparrow he had abandoned earlier. He had made it before Brambleclaw, and with the bird hanging from his jaws, he had an acceptable excuse for being up so late.

"What are you doing up?"

The question was harsh and tart; clearly, Brambleclaw had been expecting to walk into camp alone. Cloudtail breathed a sigh of relief; he had caught the tom by surprise.

"What's it look like?" He mumbled, voiced muffled by the feathers of the sparrow. Brambleclaw, who was stationed stiffly near the edge of camp, narrowed his eyes.

"I've never seen a cat eat a bird _with _the feathers."

Cloudtail spat the sparrow onto the ground, inwardly cursing his careless mistake. If it had been a senior warrior catching him he might have been embarrassed. "Shouldn't you be _asleep? _Or at the very least, in camp? Where were you, huh?"

Brambleclaw's muzzle wrinkled and he started off towards the warrior's den.

"I went to make dirt," he offered as an excuse, and Cloudtail had to resist the urge to snort.

_Yeah, sure, _he thought smugly, _all the way at Fourtrees?_

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_Review, please!_  
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	3. WindClan

**Disclaimer; I don't own.**

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Firestar took a hesitant step into the medicine den, the scent of herbs tart and sharp. Cinderpelt cast a glance at him over her shoulder before rolling her eyes.

"Honestly," she meowed. "Don't you think I'd tell you if I'd seen anything?"

Firestar let loose a tiny sigh, the faintest amusement in his eyes.

"How did you know I'd come here to ask you that?" He inquired, inviting himself inside. The gray she-cat snorted.

"All you've done lately is ask me if StarClan's told me anything," she clarified. "When they speak to me, I'll tell you. Trust me."

"I do," he answered, and it was the truth. He trusted all of his Clanmates…or most, because admittedly there were cats who still didn't think he should have been made leader after Tigerstar's demise. However, Cinderpelt was a special case. She had been his apprentice, and after her accident they had still maintained a close connection. She and Graystripe, and eventually Sandstorm, had helped all they could to bring him home to ThunderClan. Now, being his medicine cat, was there really a cat better suited for him to put his confidence in?

"Then show me," she shook her head slightly, "by letting StarClan come to me, rather than pestering me about it."

His whiskers twitched slightly. Cinderpelt was a great adviser, with her tendency to do the right thing and outspoken personality, but she had a sharp edge that she had picked up from her second mentor, Yellowfang. A bit of sorrow passed through him as he thought of the now gone she-cat.

"Sorry," he purred. "I'll leave you to your work."

As he turned to leave, a thought struck him. Though there were currently no apprentices; a somewhat worrying fact, and no expecting queens, something crossed his mind.

"Cinderpelt," he spoke up from the entrance. She sighed as an answer. "What would you think about having an apprentice?"

"An apprentice?" She meowed skeptically, glancing over her shoulder and narrowing her clear blue eyes. "Firestar, there's not a single queen in ThunderClan right now."

"But if there was?" He went on. "I'm sure an apprentice would be helpful."

Cinderpelt was silent for a moment, as if debating on whether to take this question seriously or not.

"Medicine cats are born, not made," she finally settled on. The sentence was wise, but offered little of a real answer for Firestar. "It should be that way at any rate. I suppose I'm an exception."

Firestar noted a hint of regret in her voice, but before he could acknowledge it, she moved on.

"You can't pick a kit from a litter and call it a medicine cat," she meowed, "if a medicine cat comes about soon, we'll know."

"How?"

"Well, maybe you won't," Cinderpelt chuckled. "But I will. When I see my apprentice, I'll tell you."

Firestar let the matter drop.

* * *

Distant calling caused Firestar to crack open one eye, his nap disturbed. Emerging from his den, he found a small group of cats making their way into camp.

"What are you doing here?" Mousefur was hissing sharply at the WindClan patrol, but when Tallstar emerged from the trees, she fell grudgingly silent. Firestar hurried to meet them as the rest of the Clan gathered, looking on curiously.

"Tallstar," he greeted. "What can we help you with?"

"We came to tell you that you'd do well to watch your borders," the black and white tom spoke wisely. "We suspect that RiverClan's resorted to prey-stealing."

"What?" Graystripe asked from behind him. Tallstar nodded.

"We've found blood near our border, and an injured rabbit was spotted awhile ago. RiverClan cats are built to fish, not chase rabbits as we do. Their kills are sloppy." But Tallstar did not seem finished. "But that is not all we've come to say."

"What is it?" He waited for more. What else could RiverClan be doing?

"The Twolegs that have been bothering RiverClan these past moons," he admitted, "they've begun to explore the moors. You'd do well to keep an eye out for them."

Firestar almost spilled his worries right then. The Twolegs were already upon them! The forest was being invaded! But he refrained. How could he spill such vital information in front of his entire Clan?

"Why are you telling us?" Firestar asked, a tad suspicious.

"Because," Tallstar clarified, "ShadowClan is unlikely to be affected by them any time soon, hidden away in their marshlands. While RiverClan is stealing our rabbits, there will be no help from them. WindClan needs an ally, and I've seen nothing but just leadership from you, Firestar."

That coming from a leader as old and wise as Tallstar, Firestar couldn't help feeling honored.

"So you're coming to us for help?" He questioned. "We can't do anything about RiverClan until you have solid proof."

"We won't go to war with RiverClan just yet," he promised. "But if it comes to a battle, will ThunderClan be willing to help?"

Firestar wasn't so sure about that. He respected Tallstar, and had nothing against WindClan, but how could he involve his Clan in a battle that had nothing to do with them?

"We ought to help," Graystripe mumbled from behind him. "RiverClan has no business stealing prey."

"It's not our prey, Graystripe," he heard Cinderpelt whisper back.

"This battle," he began hesitantly, "should it happen, has nothing to do with ThunderClan. I can't risk the safety of my Clanmates."

Tallstar looked disappointed, but nodded. "All the same, Firestar, I appreciate you listening to our offer. I'll be ready to hear it if we must speak again in the future."

The WindClan patrol began making their exit. He felt Graystripe come up behind him and press his fur close, whispering while keeping his golden eyes locked on the departing patrol.

"We should have helped them," he insisted quietly, but firmly. "With Twolegs on our territory, you never know when we might need any ally."

"We could still have them as allies," he whispered back. "But I'm not risking any of you in a fight against a Clan who's done nothing to deserve our claws."

"They're prey-stealing," Graystripe went on, "isn't that enough? Aren't we supposed to enforce the warrior code?"

"I only lead one Clan, Graystripe," he meowed, but his eyes fell upon a still rustling bush outside of camp. "When RiverClan steps foot on ThunderClan territory, Tallstar has a deal."

Graystripe opened his mouth again, but Firestar had already gotten to his paws, eyes set on where he could still see faint movement in the distance.

"Where are you going?" The gray tom called, confused and sounding even slightly irritated.

"I'll be right back," he meowed without offering an excuse. Slipping out of camp a few fox-lengths and ducking out of sight, he hesitantly peeled back the leaves of the undergrowth.

"Onewhisker?"

The WindClan warrior was keeping himself hidden there, looking up at Firestar with wide eyes. He had seen the tom before, and spoken to him quite a few times at Gatherings, but other than that their interaction had been limited.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, keeping his voice low but harsh. He couldn't have WindClan cats hiding on his territory, and he didn't want to attract the attention of any ThunderClan warriors, particularly Graystripe, and bring them over.

"I'm sorry," he meowed, "I had to speak with you alone before I could leave. Tallstar hasn't noticed me missing yet, I don't imagine."

"About what?" He asked. "I thought you heard the answer I gave Tallstar."

"He's played it off," he went on, "Tallstar has. The Twolegs are getting worse than he let on. RiverClan is the least of our problems."

Firestar couldn't set aside a twinge of sympathy, but didn't let it show.

"What could I possibly do for you?"

"Our Clan is weak right now," he mumbled, "if you would agree to help us tell off RiverClan, show them that we're not entirely beaten, we could stop the prey-stealing. We can't afford to lose any more prey than we have."

Firestar didn't answer. This tom was practically begging him to help his Clan. He couldn't possibly start a battle that, with the Twolegs encroaching, he might not be able to finish…but how could he say no?

"Come back one night from now," he instructed. "Can you get away then? I need time to think."

Onewhisker nodded, dipping his head gratefully.

"Thank you, Firestar," he sighed, backing away. "It's true what I've heard of you, then."

Just as the tom went to slip away, Firestar paused him.

"Wait," he meowed, then lowered his voice. "What do you mean? What have you heard of me?"

"Well, everyone's heard about what happened under Tigerstar's rule," he went on. "I was a warrior at the time as well, albeit a bit younger then. The stories are true. You fight for what's right, regardless of what's expected of you."

Before Firestar could answer, or point out that he had _not _agreed to help just yet, Onewhisker had disappeared.

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Review, please?


	4. Trespassing

Review, please? After reading of course. I'm review-less! And yep, I'm one of those sad, pathetic authors that feels their story isn't getting any action/can't be any good if there's no reviews.

**Disclaimer; don't own.**

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"Would you two quit acting like kits for a moment?"

A white and ginger she-cat twitched her whiskers at the behavior of the two warriors in front of her, but she was not overly serious. She often put up with Ashfur and Cloudtail's antics, though the rest of the Clan seemed to wonder why she tolerated them.

"Sorry, Brightheart," Cloudtail hurried to his feet, ears flattened a bit in embarrassment and offering a humble expression. When the gray speckled tom attempted to continue what had been a sparring match, Cloudtail's look soured and he shoved him away. "Didn't you hear? Brightheart wants to get on with the patrol."

Cloudtail's order seemed to disgruntle Ashfur, but the gray tom shook it off quickly. Cloudtail was a rowdy young warrior with no sense of leadership, but when it came to the pretty ginger and white she-cat, he seemed to have only her rules in mind.

"We have to finish on schedule," Brightheart went on. "Firestar's still worried about the Twolegs."

"Yeah, yeah, Firestar," Cloudtail rolled his eyes. "Isn't he always worried about something anyway?"

"There's good reason to be," Brightheart pointed out, "didn't you see the monster leave the Thunderpath?"

"Yeah," Cloudtail perked up. "I led the entire patrol back. Showed Firestar just where it all was, too."

Brightheart offered a tiny chuckle at his bragging and blinked before moving on, Cloudtail trailing after her. Ashfur bumbled behind the pair, keeping an eye out from the rear. They traveled on for a short while before the white tom stopped them.

"Hey," suddenly Cloudtail went rigid, and the other two followed suit. "Do either of you smell that?"

"What?" Ashfur asked, but Brightheart held up her tail, concentrating.

"It's RiverClan," Cloudtail went on without waiting for a response, parting his muzzle for a better taste of the air. "It's definitely RiverClan. They've been trespassing on our territory!"

"I knew Firestar should have sided with WindClan!"Ashfur burst. "If we would have stopped this before it hit our borders, we wouldn't be dealing with prey-stealers!"

"Come on," Brightheart beckoned, looking more serious. "We have to take this to Firestar."

The three of them turned, racing back through the underbrush and bracken towards camp.

* * *

Firestar's green eyes narrowed, flame-colored ears tilting back.

"You're sure?"

Cloudtail nodded urgently from behind Brightheart, who merely gave a single, assured nod.

"Cloudtail found the scent, just along the border," she told him. "We ran back right away. But it's in an awkward place, not the direct route you'd take to RiverClan territory. I think they were trying to throw us off."

Firestar normally would have praised his nephew for finding enemy scent on their borders, even though such was an expected duty of a warrior. He couldn't deny that he often gave Cloudtail a little more credit than he deserved, especially when he had been an apprentice; perhaps that was why the white warrior was a little too assured of himself from time to time. But he could hardly help it. He had promised his sister that he would raise her kit right and keep him safe, and he had done his best so far.

"What's this all about?" Graystripe came up from behind him, voice tense. "RiverClan? I told you we should have done something about them before."

"Wait a moment, Graystripe," he silenced the deputy, turning and hurrying up to the Highrock. "Cats of ThunderClan!"

Sandstorm emerged one of the first, taking a seat right up front. Cinderpelt limped to sit outside her den, but didn't move much farther. He noted that Mousefur and Thornclaw were among the last to arrive, and sat near the very back. Thornclaw whispered something into the brown she-cat's ear, and she batted him lightheartedly with her tail. Something else caught his eye, just as the last few cats gathered. Cloudtail had the very tip of his tail rested over Brightheart's; and the pretty she-cat hadn't flicked it away just yet.

_He's making progress, _Firestar resisted a chuckle. The entire Clan seemed to know that Cloudtail had been padding after Brightheart ever since apprenticeship; except for Cloudtail and Brightheart.

"Cats of ThunderClan," he began again, "I have called you to report that RiverClan scent has been discovered on our side of the border."

The Clan erupted in a chorus of different reactions. Several cats mumbled about how they had known this would happen all along. Some were confused, others surprised. He spotted Speckletail near the back, scowling to another elder and flashing Firestar dirty looks now and again.

"I am going to personally pay Leopardstar a visit," he decided, knowing he had to do something. A fight was not what he wanted just yet, but he had to let Leopardstar know that ThunderClan could not be taken advantage of. "I will bring a patrol with me. We must let RiverClan know that the forest is ours, and they have no rights to be here."

"A patrol?" Someone called out. "How many cats?"

Firestar thought for a quick moment. He needed cats that were rational and fair. No one too hasty or aggressive, or Leopardstar would get the wrong message, he was sure. This was a warning patrol, not a battle troop.

"Sorreltail, Brackenfur, Ferncloud…" he almost went on to add Brambleclaw. The young tom was looking up at him hopefully, paws kneading into the ground. He had personally mentored Brambleclaw when he was an apprentice, and knew the tom was both determined and level-headed; but when he opened his mouth again, he could not bring himself to say the tabby's name. "And Mousefur. We will leave immediately."

He avoided Brambleclaw's disappointed stare as he leaped down from the rock, hurrying past him. Yes, he had once been Brambleclaw's mentor. Yes, that should have produced a sort of bond between the two of them, as mentors and apprentices often share. But Firestar…had never felt it. He had _wanted _to appoint himself Cloudtail's mentor, but had chosen Graystripe instead due to the sheer fact that a full-blooded warrior as his nephew's mentor might help the Clan forget his obvious kittypet heritage, or so he had hoped. He had made himself mentor to Tigerstar's son due to that alone; he was_ Tigerstar's_ son, and he needed an eye kept on him.

Didn't he?

"What are you thinking?"

Graystripe paused his departure by halting directly in front of him. Golden eyes mere glinting chips, Firestar felt suddenly a lot less like a leader under the gaze.

"Going to talk to Leopardstar?" Graystripe whispered harshly, leaning in and glancing around to make sure no one heard him. "That's suicide!"

"No, it's not," Firestar reassured him. "I'll be fine. Leopardstar wouldn't try anything."

"Right," he meowed. "It's not like she hasn't tried to kill you before or anything."

"I thought you agreed with me on letting that go?" Firestar sighed. "You're starting to sound like Sandstorm."

"I just don't like this plan, alright?" The gray tom settled, leaning forward to quickly nuzzle him. The short affectionate action seemed to clog all his potential responses in his throat. "Go if you want. I still think we should be consulting Tallstar, not Leopardstar."

"Firestar?" Thornclaw bustled over, looking awkwardly between him and Graystripe. The deputy straightened up and backed a few pawsteps away, while Firestar cleared his throat a bit, trying to regain his composure. "Uh…well, Mousefur can't go on the patrol."

"Why not?" He asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, uh…no," he fumbled. "Actually…we're expecting kits."

Firestar shook aside his initial surprise and offered his congratulations. This was just what ThunderClan needed; new future warriors. The tom looked a little embarrassed, but went on.

"Brambleclaw offered to take her place, though," he mentioned. Firestar's mood instantly dropped, and his mind spun to think up an excuse.

_This is ridiculous, _he thought after a few moments, _he's one of my warriors; I trained him for StarClan's sake! What could it hurt, bringing him along?_

"I, well…" he fumbled, then swallowed his nervousness and glanced towards where Brambleclaw was seated. "Yes, well. Tell him to hurry up then. We're leaving immediately."

Pushing past the two, without much of a goodbye for even Graystripe, he waited near the edge of camp for the patrol to gather. Leading the way, he trailed over twigs and rocks towards RiverClan territory.

"Firestar?" A tiny voice sounded in his ear, and he nearly jumped when he glanced over to find Brambleclaw whispering to him. He seemed to be trying not to catch the ears of the rest of the patrol. "I just wanted to thank you for letting me come along. I know you didn't choose me, but I thought maybe you'd want a cat to replace Mousefur."

Firestar waited for something more, something to give away some ulterior motive. Nothing came.

"Oh," he meowed quietly back. "Of course, Brambleclaw. You're a ThunderClan warrior just like any other."

But even as the words left his mouth, he knew they were lies; and the way that Brambleclaw watched him for a moment longer made him suspect that he was not the only one who knew how he truly felt about the tabby warrior.

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R&R! You're already halfway there!


	5. RiverClan

I'M SORRY! I wish I had a good excuse for the LOOONG disappearances I've made a habit. School is eating me alive. My computer was a peice of junk up until recently. At the bottom of it all, all my Distant Haunting chapters got deleted and really killed my inspiration for awhile. But here's a chapter, and I like to think it's a pretty good one too!

**Disclaimer: If I owned Warriors, a book would never be published due to my terrible, terrible procrastination. I don't own it. The end. **

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The farther into RiverClan territory they travelled, the more desolate things seemed to appear. Firestar's ears drooped at the suspicious sights around him, but that was the only indication he gave of his discomfort to his warriors. Normally plentiful RiverClan territory seemed barren of prey, and the once lush lands were torn and battered as if recovering from a particularly harsh leaf-bare. Yet, this was green-leaf. Why did it look so poor here? A sudden hiss distracted Firestar from his thoughts. Turning his head to face the sudden sound, he found himself staring down a RiverClan patrol.

If the appearance of their territory had taken Firestar by surprise, the condition of the cats it housed effected him more. He recognized Heavystep, a cat named specifically for his stocky build. He now looked as lean as a WindClan warrior, yet his eyes appeared sunken and his pelt looked uncared for. The cats beside him seemed almost bony.

"Firestar," he meowed, his voice lacking the luster one would expect from a warrior defending their land. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak to Leopardstar," he specified. "It's urgent."

Without another word, Heavystep turned and led them off. He heard Sorreltail whisper something to Brackenfur behind him, and noticed the swivel of Heavystep's ears in their direction. Deliberately he swiped his tail across Brackenfur's nose, the other tom falling silent.

_Just because these cats have lost their looks doesn't mean they've lost their hearing, _he scolded mentally, but kept quiet for fear of upsetting the patrol. He hadn't expected to enter RiverClan territory so easily, and didn't plan to ruin it.

"Leopardstar," Heavystep called upon their arrival, with a bit more emotion than he had spoken to Firestar. "We have visitors."

"Visitors?" He heard Leopardstar's tart voice before he spotted her, emerging from across camp between some scarce reeds. "You mean trespassers?"

Her voice had not betrayed weakness, but as she came into view Firestar couldn't help but feel an even stronger pang of worry. Her spotted pelt seemed to hang off of her skin, and her once proud stride was reduced to an unsteady approach as she neared him.

"Firestar," she hissed, clearly displeased. Her eyes bore no resemblance to her tired looking body, and glinted just as hard as ever. "What are you doing here? Assuming you can stroll into any cat's territory you please?"

"No," he began, "in fact, it is your cats that I suspect have been doing the trespassing, Leopardstar. I'm here to tell you that RiverClan scent has been reported on both my territory and Tallstar's. Reign in your warriors; I'd advise you not to let this continue."

"_You'd_ advise me?" She snorted, raising her head. "Oh, great ThunderClan leader? What exactly will happen if I don't bend to your wills like a kit?"

Firestar's ears flattened. He was trying to be polite yet firm, and Leopardstar seemed to be itching for a fight.

"I'm not asking you to obey me," he clarified, "but if your warriors are found on my territory, I won't hesitate to chase them off myself."

"Do you think we can't defend ourselves?" She growled. "Is that it? You've taken a good look around RiverClan territory on your way here and decided we're finished?"

_She's only voicing her own fears now._

"I won't have any of it," she snapped. "RiverClan will hunt where we please, and you ought to keep your high and mighty nose out of it."

"RiverClan will not be hunting on _my _territory," he answered firmly. "Nor WindClan's, for that matter. Do you really want the wrath of two Clans on you, Leopardstar? Think."

Her tail lashed in an aggravated fashion before she answered.

"RiverClan can hold our own," she hissed. "If you've counted us out of the fight, you've made a grievous mistake. Now go! Mistyfoot, see these fools off of my territory!"

"She's mad if she thinks her tattered Clan can handle both of ours," Firestar overheard Brambleclaw mumble behind him. It was too much of a whisper for any RiverClan cat to hear, but he spun around to react regardless.

"Quiet, Brambleclaw!" He snapped. "WindClan are their own, only ThunderClan stands in this battle for now!"

A second later his ears burned red. All of RiverClan seemed to have fallen silent, watching an enemy leader reprimand one of his own warriors. Brambleclaw's eyes were wide, and for a split second Firestar felt remorse; he saw no Tigerstar in him for that quick moment. Only a confused ThunderClan warrior, wondering what he had said wrong. Without explaining himself, Firestar strode off to follow RiverClan's deputy, ignoring her stare as she too wondered why the normally calm tom had lost his temper.

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"So that's what you think it was?"

Firestar stared into the water of the stream near the training hollow. Closing his eyes to his own reflection, he sighed irritably.

"I don't know," he answered Graystripe, the other tom seated beside him. "It was just the way he said it. 'She's mad if she thinks her Clan can handle both of _ours'. _WindClan and ThunderClan aren't one. If he thinks I can control both Clans, or that I _want _to, he's delusional."

"I don't think he meant it that way," Graystripe admitted. "You may have overreacted a bit."

"I know," he grumbled. "All of RiverClan were staring, too. Have you ever heard of a leader blowing up like that in front of another Clan? I'm supposed to look strong in front of them."

"You didn't look weak," Graystripe pointed out, then chuckled a bit, "maybe a bit unstable, but…"

Firestar batted him over the ear, letting out a hiss that was half-meant and half-playful. Graystripe responded with his own shove, taking Firestar by surprise and nearly sending him off balance. Instead of slumping to the ground, he rolled and popped up on the other side of the gray tom, who he then shoved backwards into the stream.

"You forget I'm ThunderClan's leader now," the fire-colored tom laughed. "You think I can't take my own deputy in a fight?"

Graystripe hauled himself onto the bank as quickly as possible, an irritated hiss rumbling in his throat. His long pelt was dripping, and his eyes were still closed. For a moment Firestar worried he might have actually angered the other tom.

"I'm sorry for getting you –" he began, knowing how much the other tom hated getting wet, and only did so voluntarily in the most dire of circumstances. However, before he could finish, the other tom leapt forward and grabbed onto his scruff, yanking him forwards and sending them both tumbling into the water.

Instantly upon hitting the stream, Firestar gasped. Water flooded his throat and nostrils and a familiar feeling of panic struck him. Somewhere thrashing in this water was Tigerstar. He was trapped in the rapids at the bottom of the gorge. He was going to die.

But within the next moment, he had reemerged and Graystripe was laughing heartily.

"Enjoy the dip?" He chuckled, yellow eyes glinting humorously and bringing a steady end to Firestar's momentary flashback. He hadn't seemed to notice that his leader had nearly flown into a panic.

"Firestar?"

A new voice interrupted them both, and they turned to find that they were not alone. A familiar tom was watching from the opposite bank.

"Onewhisker!" Firestar leapt to his feet and bumbled out of the water, flicking his paws and straightening his whiskers with embarrassment. "I, um, didn't expect you."

"Oh," the brown tom seemed to look as awkward as Firestar felt. "I'm sorry, I…well, in any case –"

"What's a WindClan cat doing here?" Graystripe interrupted in between licks, drying himself as dignifiedly as possible.

"I told him to come," Firestar clarified. "Onewhisker, I already talked to Leopardstar today. She doesn't seem to think she's done anything wrong, and the stealing isn't likely to stop."

Onewhisker looked dejected. "But we're hungry enough as it is."

Firestar cringed. _He shouldn't be telling me this._

"If Tallstar wants to go into battle," he began, regret seeping into his stomach, "ThunderClan will be beside you."

The WindClan cat perked up. "You would do that for us?"

"Prey-stealing can't be justified," he explained, trying to shrug the favor off. He wasn't doing it for WindClan, he was doing it for his own. Though he did want to help WindClan...and why? Because some senior warrior of a different Clan asked for it?

"Thank you, Firestar," he dipped his head respectfully. "You have no idea what this means to me."

Disappearing into the beginnings of WindClan territory across the stream, Onewhisker vanished. Firestar turned his head to face Graystripe, who let out a snort.

"What?"

"What happened to not getting involved?" Graystripe asked skeptically.

"Someone has to do something," he defended. Graystripe rolled his eyes. "Weren't you urging to me to side with them anyway?"

"Whatever you say, Firestar," he mumbled, looking slightly annoyed but not angry. Confused, Firestar trailed after him as he led the way back to camp, brushing his pelt up against his every now and then.

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